Under Construction: The Nursery
by Meriem Clayton
Summary: Sequel to Under Construction: Raising the Roof. Sam's pregnancy develops serious complications and Jack, Teal'c, Daniel, Janet, Sara, and Cassie all show what she means to them.
1. Chapter 1

This story is part of the Under Construction series. It takes place after "Under Construction: Raising the Roof." 

In additional to my usual wonderful betas, Jess and Monica, I want to thank my medical advisers who went way out of their way to help me with this: Nerowill, Diana M. Nurse, and an obstetrics nurse in NJ who is choosing to remain nameless.

This story was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt has been made to copyright any characters which may not have been originally created by the author, and no profit is made from this work of fiction. Any original characters and the stories themselves are the property of the author.

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So far, Dr. Daniel Jackson had avoided cracking up outright but if he bit the inside of his cheek much more, it was going to start bleeding. His best friend, Colonel Jack O'Neill, had replaced his white shirt with a light blue one and his red tie with a navy tie and then a blue and red striped one. Daniel was mildly surprised Jack owned that many ties since the only tie he could remember seeing on him was the one that went with his dress uniform. The width on the second and third ties did suggest that they had come out of the vault but he kept that to himself, not wanting to discourage Jack if these weren't going to end up as the final choices. Now Jack had cycled back to the white shirt and the red tie. The discards were strewn around him, a level of untidiness generally quite foreign to the military man.

"You look good, Jack," he said for the umptiumph time.

Jack was now peering into the mirror on the back of the closet door from a few inches away, pushing down around his eyes. "I look old," he announced.

"Where is that coming from?" Daniel asked, once more in danger of inappropriate laughter. When he didn't get an answer, Daniel said, "Jack, wouldn't you and Sara both be more comfortable going somewhere a little less formal?"

Jack shook his head. "No, Daniel. Sara didn't get the real proposal experience the first time we got married. We just started talking about it sort of casually, theoretically, and then the next thing you know, we were walking by a jeweler's and noticed a sale. It was hardly the stuff of a girl's dreams watching her boy friend get all excited about the 30 markdown."

"I see your point," Daniel agreed. "Sha're didn't get one either. They basically just gave her to me to be my wife. Fortunately we were both more than okay with the idea."

Jack continued as if Daniel hadn't said anything, "I screwed up the first time, Daniel. Most of what went wrong after Charlie died was my fault. That time in captivity gave us a second chance with our lives. I'm not messing it up."

Jack stepped away from the mirror, shrugged as if to say, "Not much I can do about it at this point," and left the bedroom with Daniel trailing behind, extremely relieved to have moved beyond the dressing Jack phase. Jack came to a halt in the middle of the living room as if he had lost his bearings. Daniel was amazed to realize that Jack looked panicked. His icy calm, seasoned commander who had fearlessly led him through all sorts of danger, looked like a kid on the first day of school in a strange town if his new classmates were all going to be Unas.

Daniel decided to try to help move him to the next phase. "It's 7:00 or, 1900 hours, take your pick. Aren't you supposed to pick her up in 15 minutes?"

"Not helping, Daniel," Jack said as he starting patting one pocket after another, searching for his keys.

"I know where they are," Daniel said. "Hold on." Daniel went back in the bedroom and retrieved the keys from the khakis Jack had been wearing a tedious hour before and then veered to the kitchen next. He grabbed the bouquet of perfect red roses out of the florist's box in the refrigerator and brought them as well. He pitched the keys to Jack who almost fumbled them, another sure sign of nerves. Then he handed him the flowers which Jack regarded with a certain amount of suspicion and accepted rather gingerly. "I forgot about those," he admitted.

"I noticed," Daniel said.

"I've probably only given Sara flowers twice the whole time I've known her. Maybe she'll think I'm guilty of something," Jack said dubiously.

This was just too much. Daniel wasn't amused any more. He was beginning to get concerned for his friend. "Jack," he said patiently. "Relax. We both know she's going to say yes."

Jack grimaced and squared his shoulders, almost as if he was mentally shouldering a gun, and said, "Wish me luck."

Daniel hated to slow him down but his confidence level was extremely diminished so, instead of complying immediately, he said, "You do have the ring?"

Jack looked stricken. "Oh, lord, it's gone," he said sounding like he was going to lose it. And then he did, laughing, at Daniel's expression. "I got you there. It's here," he said, indicating his inside coat pocket.

Daniel said, "You know what I'm going to do now, right?"

Jack was still laughing a little. "Manly hug."

Daniel affirmed, "Manly hug," and they exchanged one. Daniel then followed Jack out of the house and waved him off before he got in his own car.

As Daniel started his car, he thought about how their period of captivity had changed all of their lives. He and Jack, imprisoned together, had forged a very tight bond. They had forced each other to take a look at their lives. Each had come back determined to make changes. Jack decided he needed to try once again with Sara whom he had never been able to forget, even though he had feelings for Sam. Daniel decided to quit waiting for Sam to get over her infatuation with Jack and her fear of commitment and try to find happiness with someone else. He had struck gold with Janet. What neither of them had counted on was the curve the aliens threw them when they inseminated Sam and made her pregnant with twins, one his and one Jack's. For reasons that were completely opaque to Daniel, Sam had given up on Jack and seemed to be honing in on him. It was just a little too late.

He hadn't gone more than a couple of miles, deep in his musings, when his cell rang. It was Jack. "There's a big problem," Jack said, sounding tense. "Sara just called me and she wants to cancel the date."

Daniel had a sinking feeling, imagining going through the previous hour with Jack again at some point in the near future. "What's the problem? Can you change her mind?"

"Sam came over to help her dress and now Sara's afraid to leave her alone," Jack explained.

"Why?" asked Daniel. Part of him was still mad at Sam for refusing his marriage proposal when he tried to do the right thing for her immediately after he and Jack had learned about the babies. That angry part wanted to say something snappy, something flip. At least if he could have come up with something snappy. The anger was slipping away on a daily basis though and he mostly was just plain worried at Jack's words.

"Sara says she's been having some menstrual-like cramps, some back pressure, and a little diarrhea. It's after hours and Sam doesn't want to go to the Emergency Room for something that seems trivial to her. I've told you how Sara had two miscarriages before we were able to have Charlie. She's getting scared." Jack said, sounding grim. Daniel thought he was probably just as worried about what this was bringing back for Sara, as that there might really be a problem for Sam.

"I've been doing some reading," Daniel admitted. "It sounds like it could be preterm labor."

"That's not good, is it?" Jack asked and then went on without waiting for an answer. "Look, Daniel, I agree that Sam shouldn't be alone but I really don't want to have to psych myself up for this proposal thing again either. I know you have a date with Janet but, I don't know, maybe you could push it back to 9:30 or 10 and stay with Sam? We could be back by then."

Daniel had no choice but to agree. Instead of going straight to Sara's, he pulled over and stopped the car. He knew Janet wouldn't be happy and he didn't want to try to handle the call while he was driving. She had been getting increasingly testy about time he spent with Sam. On the one hand, she kept saying that he needed to be part of his child's life and she was proud of him for his desire to be involved but, on the other, every time he did something like go to the childbirth classes with Sam, she was a little touchy, a little distant for a couple of days afterwards. He drew a deep breath, thinking to himself that the whole cleansing breath thing from the childbirth classes seemed to be rubbing off on him, and hit Janet's number on the speed dial.

"Hello, darling," she said, relying on the caller id. "I'm wearing something new that I think you will REALLY like and I've made beef stroganoff, just the way you like it. I hope you're calling to say you'll be a little early."

"Oh crap," Daniel thought glumly. "This is not starting out well." He cleared his throat. "Actually, Janet, Jack is planning to propose to Sara tonight but she doesn't want to go out because Sam is showing symptoms that are scaring her. You know, Sara, had the miscarriages. Anyway, the only way she'll go with Jack is if I stay with Sam. So.."

"So, you're going to Sam's?" Janet asked, giving nothing away yet.

"Actually, she was over at Sara's when it started. I'm going over there."

"Well, I'm a doctor. I'll just bring the dinner over there and she'll have company and medical support," Janet answered, flabbergasting Daniel. "Meet you there in a few minutes."

Daniel sat staring at the phone like he had never seen one before. Is this why they had invented cell phones? To convey unwelcome tidings like this? As he started up the car, he thought to himself, "There must be something in the dynamic in polygamous cultures that I'm just not getting."

Jack was literally poised to push Sara out to the car the minute Daniel came in the door. She was protesting but he wasn't listening. As the sound of their mostly one-sided conversation ebbed in the distance, Daniel took a really good look at Sam. She didn't look good. That was she didn't look good because she looked so worried and more than a little drawn from the cramps but on another level she looked very good. He couldn't completely repress a spurt of lust. She looked at him unenthusiastically, sitting huddled on the couch with an afghan, her hands protectively wrapped around her middle. He sat down next to her, wanting to help but at a loss at how to do it.

"Can I get you something," he asked. "Some tea?" She just shook her head. "Would you like to watch something on television? You know, get your mind on something else." She shook her head again. He was almost glad when he heard the doorbell, despite knowing that it probably didn't presage fun and games for all.

"Who could that be?" Sam asked, a little crankily.

"Uh, when I told Janet you were having these problems, she insisted on coming to help," he stammered out, getting to his feet.

"Just how insecure is she?" Sam demanded, irritated. "She doesn't even trust you to sit with a woman with the runs?"

The doorbell sounded again. "I'd better get that," Daniel said edging out of the room.

When he opened the door, Janet avoided his eyes and pushed past him with a hamper in which he assumed their dinner was hiding. There was a slightly pugnacious cast to her expression and he groaned inwardly. As soon as she saw Sam, her expression changed. Clearly, to her practiced medical eye, this wasn't a woman working her pregnancy to get attention. This was a woman very likely had a real medical problem. She shoved the hamper at Daniel and went immediately to sit down next to Sam and look at her more closely. After an initial wary reaction, Sam seemed to be glad to have someone who knew what they were doing come in and take charge. After a few questions, Janet announced, "Let's go the hospital, Sam. We can call your doctor on the way."

"Really, Janet? You really think that's necessary?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm.

"It's nothing to get alarmed about, Sam, really. But there is a reasonable chance that there's something going on that the right medication could make better." Janet patted her hand and said briskly, "No need to have problems that can easily be avoided, right?" Janet stood and looked at Daniel. "I've got the SUV. Why don't we take it?" She pulled the keys from her purse and tossed them to Daniel. "It might be best if you drive so I can pay attention to Sam."

Daniel was beginning to get very, very worried and doing his best to hide it. He retrieved Sam's purse for her from the bedroom and locked the house up behind the two women. He drove carefully to the hospital although everything in him screamed, "Speed, speed," figuring a ticket or an accident would only make things worse.

As directed by the doctor, they went to labor and delivery. Janet commented that ER's just hate dealing with pregnant women and have a tendency to send them to labor and delivery when they're late in the pregnancy, even if the problem isn't pregnancy related. Instead of being grateful for the speed with which the admitting people moved, taking Sam directly back to an examining room, Daniel realized even more forcefully than he already did that the fact that she was carrying twins made every possible sign of trouble a big deal. A nurse arrived in a matter of minutes and took her blood pressure which she said, when asked, was 200/105. Janet looked grim at that information and Daniel was now approaching fugue state, looking on helplessly while the nurse put Sam on not one, but two, monitors, a fetal monitor and something that monitored contractions.

When the doctor came in and saw the nurse's work up, he gave Sam a smile. There was no faulting the man's bedside manner. Still, he also moved quickly and efficiently to start a pelvic exam. When Sam and Daniel realized what was about to happen, they both blushed and Daniel said, "I'll, uh, just be out in the waiting room while you do that."

Janet came to get him what seemed like an eternity later, although the clock in the waiting room didn't bear that out at all. He went to Sam's side and immediately took her hand. She squeezed it gratefully but her air was abstracted, all her attention focused on the doctor. The doctor didn't waste any time getting to the heart of the matter, "Ms. Carter is experiencing some preterm labor. I've done a vaginal exam andthe cervix is dilated a finger tip and is 20 effaced. It isimperative that we stop the contractions sono further cervical change occurs until we are ready for the babies to be born." Looking at their stricken faces, he added, reassuringly, "Preterm labor is not unusual with twins."

Sam's grip on Daniel's hand tightened. "I'm not going to lose my babies, am I?"

"If we respond to this intelligently, I think things will be fine. Let me explain to you what's happened so far. We've done a urinalysis and there is no protein or bacteria in the urine which is a very good sign, Sam. You are a little dehydrated which can contribute to preterm labor and we've started an IV to address that. I am also going to give you a shot of subque terbutaline. This will relax the uterus and hopefully knock the contractions out. If one shot doesn't do the trick we'll do another. Sam, terb will increase your heart rate, so if you feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest or you feel a little jittery, don't worry. Those are normal side effects of the drug." He paused to ask for questions about what he had said so far. He was talking to two brilliant people and a doctor, also brilliant, so no one was having trouble keeping up. Their questions were all much, much bigger and this wasn't the time yet to ask them.

He continued, "As a precaution I am going to give you a shot of betamethasone. Betamethasone is a steroid that will help to mature the babies' lungs just in case we cannot stop the contractions and you deliver beforewe want you to. We'll do that now and then again in 24 hours. So Sam, get comfortable. You're spending the night."

Daniel said anxiously, "What then? Does she stay here until the babies are born?"

The doctor said, "Dr. Jackson, let's wait and see how things go but the best case scenario would be going home on complete bed rest." He took off his glasses and polished them. It was a calculated dramatic gesture to make them wait and pay attention to what was coming next. "It is critical that we get you to 36 weeks, Sam. To do that we'll need for you to continue the terb by mouth, every four hours. That's even through the night, every night. You are only to get out of bed to go to the bathroom."

At this point, he looked at Daniel very directly rather than Sam. "Pelvic rest is critical."

Janet could tell that this was lost on Daniel. She said, but without any satisfaction in her voice, totally the professional now, "That means no sexual relations or even sexual stimulation."

Daniel and Sam both blushed a bright red. He let go of her hand as if it were on fire. Daniel said, very emphatically, "You certainly don't need to worry about that," as if the thought was monstrously abhorrent. There was an awkward silence. The doctor looked mildly surprised at his vehemence and Sam looked a little insulted. Even Janet didn't look pleased with his lack of sensitivity. He wanted to smooth it out and make it better but felt as if anything he said would be less than helpful.

The doctor asked Sam, "Do you have any questions?"

She responded, a little weakly, still processing everything she had heard, "Thank you doctor. I think it's clear."

"Fine then. They'll take you up to your room in a few minutes and I'll be looking in on you early in the morning. Dr. Jackson, Dr. Fraiser." He waved and left.

Sam covered her face with her hands. "How am I going to manage staying in bed all the time?" she said, talking more to herself it seemed than to either of her companions.

"I'll be there as much as you need me to be," Daniel said.  
Janet quickly added, "I'm here too, Sam, and you know Cassie will want to help as much as she can get home." There was nothing of the jealous woman and everything of the friend in her voice and expression.

As if on cue, Daniel's cell rang then and he could see from the caller id that it was Jack. He quickly answered to hear, "Daniel, what the hell's going on. Sara called the house and didn't get an answer."

"Nothing to worry about but we're at the hospital. Sam has preterm labor. They're going to keep her here for a day or so and then, if things look good, she comes home on complete bedrest until the babies are born."

Jack asked "As in she can't get up except to go to the bathroom?" After Daniel's confirmation, Jack immediately said, "That was the only way Sara was able to have Charlie. You know I'll help her." Daniel heard Sara's voice in the background and then Jack added, "And Sara of course. Daniel, we both want to talk to her but first, how are you holding up my friend?"

Daniel looked over at Sam who was leaning back, her eyes closed. "I'd like to talk later. Did everything go as planned with Sara?"

Jack laughed. "Not at all as planned. When we talk, I'll give you the details but she did say yes. After we talk to Sam, I'll call Teal'c. He'll want to know and be there for her."

Daniel spoke softly to Sam and said, "Do you want to talk to Jack and Sara." She reached out for the phone and it was obvious that their support was a big morale boost from watching her face. The conversation lasted only a short time but when Sam handed the phone back to Daniel, she was smiling. She captured Janet's hand and said, "Janet, when the call interrupted us, I was starting to tell you that I really appreciate what you've done this evening. We've had some problems lately but you didn't let any of that get in the way. I owe you."

Janet bit her lip. "This is awkward isn't it. I'm in love with Daniel. You're having his baby." She looked at Daniel and shook her head ruefully. "And you don't know what you want, do you Danny?"

He tried to speak but she held up her hand. "Right now, there are two little lives that are all that matter." She took Sam's hand and asked, "Truce?"

"Truce," Sam agreed.

When Daniel told Jack about it later he said he felt a little like a spoil of war that had been temporarily parked with a neutral country. He flashed on himself, improbably, as a sort of male Helen of Troy. "I'm here, ladies," he said, not sure exactly why he was upset with them, but he definitely was. They exchanged a look fraught with meaning that only another woman would understand.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early, early morning, a pale dawn creeping through the window, but Sam was wide awake and bored. When you have a day lying in bed ahead of you and you are already bored ten minutes after you wake up, it's not a good sign. She looked around her at all the options for not being bored her friends had put in place. She was lying on one side of a queen sized bed. The half not needed for sleeping had her laptop with a stack of DVD's and CD's next to it. There was a neat pile of scientific journals and folders with work related papers in them juxtaposed with tomes on babies and child raising and some trashy novels that Sara really liked and Sam had been surprised to discover were a real pleasure, if a guilty one. There was even a set of knitting needles and a half-finished baby afghan Sara had been teaching her how to make. On the bedside table next to her was a carafe of water and a glass and there were various snack items in the top drawer, within reach if she got hungry when no one else was available. 

The remote control was there as well but the pickings at 6:15 AM, even with cable, were limited. She was afraid too that the TV would wake up Daniel. She could hear faint snores coming from the room next to hers. Daniel had parked himself there the very first night she was home from the hospital and refused to be dislodged. She smiled at the snores. Didn't seem like something that would be a plus but she had found them very endearing. They reassured her that he was there but he was okay. She wasn't totally wrecking his life.

She had always been good at going back to sleep if awakened in the night but she had discovered that Daniel had a horrible time with it. If they did get married as she hoped and prayed they would, he wouldn't be part of the solution for feedings in the middle of the night. She had already silently promised that to herself. He insisted that he set his alarm to make sure that she got up at 3:00 AM for the pill that fell in the middle of the night. It would take him hours to go back to sleep. Some days he just waited for Teal'c or Sara or Jack to show up for the 7:00 pill before he tried to go back to sleep. During the day he was off duty because one or more of Teal'c, Jack, Sara, Janet, or, on the weekends, Cassie, were there. Sometimes he couldn't stop himself from going into work for awhile even though he was officially using vacation time.

She looked over at the table in the corner of the bedroom. They had moved the dresser out and put a table there so that everyone could come up to the bedroom and she could be part of meals and other socializing unless she needed to sleep. There were a couple of decks of cards, a Risk game, and Jaffa dice resting there at the moment.

Sam checked the schedule lying on top of the journals. Teal'c had the first watch today. That would be fun. He had taught her myriad Jaffa games of chance with their 6-sided dice and had been fleecing her out of all sorts of imaginary types of lingua franca. He held chits for visits with the twins beyond counting, including trips to the zoo, and others that ensured his right to show them every Star Trek and Star Wars DVD available. He also told the most marvelous stories, his delivery deadpan and only the glint in his eye and, perhaps, a faint smile turning up one corner of his mouth, giving the away the fact that he knew he was being very funny.

Jack would show up to keep her company right after lunch, after spending the morning at Cheyenne Mountain. He would want to have various practical discussions. He had been over every inch of the house and had a whole list of home improvement projects that were required before the house would be a fit place for his son or Daniel's. To hear him tell it, it was amazing that termites, water damage in the basement, and a leaking roof hadn't brought the whole thing down around her ears already. He was redoing the space that would be the nursery and would immediately go to work on it when the next person arrived. From what she could hear, and Sara confirmed, he had dragged Daniel into the complete overhaul going on of two adjoining rooms, starting with knocking down the wall between them. Although she was told that the quality of the work they were doing was good, the rate of progress was rather slow. She could hear a lot of conversation and joking around that probably were getting in the way.

On today's schedule, Sara would be there around 4:00. Sara was doing all the legwork to round up the baby paraphernalia that Sam had only just started to acquire. Sam wasn't able to participate in a baby shower but the gifts arrived with Jack daily. People showed up at his office on the base with all sorts of things. Some were beautifully wrapped; some were in something close to the Dilbert technique of using a towel but they were all terrific. The hand knitted, crocheted, or quilted items touched her the most and there were tears shed more than once. When Sara arrived, they would go over the latest booty, look at what Sara had just purchased, and work on the list of what was left. This was fun but Sam found that she got even more pleasure helping Sara start to plan her wedding to Jack.

Janet was noted at dinner time today. After a few days of carry out alternating with various frozen entrees, Janet had insisted that they would all get sick on this diet and the babies would be born already addicted to mediocre fast-food and chain restaurant fare. She saw to it that someone actually cooked a decent meal every night. Dinners were always a lot of fun. Daniel was there of course but several of the others would usually be on hand.

It wasn't on the schedule but late this afternoon, Fr. Bill was coming by. She grimaced at the reaction that was going to get from Daniel. It was clear that he wasn't comfortable with her developing an interest in church since their return from captivity. He didn't really have a clue. To him, she looked like a devout Catholic but when she thought about her aunts attending daily Mass and embroidering altar clothes, she knew she was still exploring what her involvement with the church would be. The priest had been at the hospital while she was there and dropped in to talk to her since she had indicated she was Catholic at admission. He was an open, friendly man who had become a priest after 10 years as a physics professor at Cal Tech and they had clicked right away.

She heard Daniel's alarm go off. The idiot hadn't listened to her when she told him that Teal'c would be there to make sure she got the pill at 7:00. There was stumbling toward the bathroom, a thud, and some swearing, at least she assumed it was swearing, but it was in some exotic sounding language so who knew? The shower started immediately and then Daniel started singing. She didn't think he was consciously aware that he did it because he was always so considerate about not disturbing her. He had a very pleasant voice but a very interesting repertoire which included simple songs in Arabic, which she assumed were children's songs from his childhood on his parents' digs, folk songs from Abydos, and, for reasons completely unclear to her, the classic "One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater." This morning the shower only lasted long enough for a rendition of the Purple People Eater song. Then he went downstairs, his steps still dragging, and shortly thereafter the smell of coffee wafted up. Ten minutes later and five minutes before the pill was due, she heard the front door open. They all had keys and no one bothered with the doorbell anymore. Teal'c and Daniel greeted each other and then both men came bounding energetically up the stairs. Oh the power of coffee!

Later that day, she was reading one of the baby books, yellow highlighter in hand, when she heard Sara come in and call up a hello. Jack immediately rushed down the stairs to greet her. There was no conversation so she surmised the nature of the greeting. Daniel poked his head in her door then and said, "Sara just got here but Jack wants to talk with her about something first a bit first."

Sam gave him a "don't kid a kidder look" and said, "Right."

"They are a lot of fun to watch. It's like they're 18 again only I suspect Jack's a lot more considerate this time around. He does actually want to talk to her because he wants to move the wedding date up again. He's that eager," Daniel laughed and then they made eye contact and it died away, both of them having the same thought. Being told that they couldn't do anything sexual, no matter whether there had been anything sexual going on or not up to that point, made both of them think about it way too much.

Daniel came into the room and sat on the edge of the bed and looked solemnly at Sam. "So anyway," he asked, "is there anything you need?" The question was asked with reference to some trivial request, to something Sara would have supplied, but suddenly it took on a whole lot more significance.

She looked at him mutely, her heart in her eyes. She reached up and rubbed at a spec of paint on his forehead. He captured her hand, turned his face into it, and kissed her palm. Then he curled her fingers in and held her fist cradled between both of his hands. "It's a mess with Janet," he said in a low voice.  
"I know," she said, her voice breaking. "She's been wonderful to me. I don't want to hurt her."

"Before the bed rest, she was resentful of the time I spent with you although she didn't say anything. But now, she's totally supportive of what I'm trying to do for you and, well, trusting," Daniel said, slowly. "Sam, no matter what, all three of us can't come out of this with what we want. No matter what I do, I'm going to feel like a jerk. Be a jerk I guess. It would help me if I really understood what you're feeling because on some levels it all feels like some kind of a trick to me."

"Because I turned you down when you asked me to marry you right after I told you and Jack about the babies?"

"Yeah. And, honestly, before that, you never gave me the slightest hint you felt anything but sisterly toward me," Daniel responded, a trace of bitterness still clinging to the words.

"You were not exactly giving out loverish vibes either, Daniel," Sam said, slightly defensively.

"I didn't dare," Daniel said, the bitterness growing now, "but Jack still saw my feelings underneath."

"Okay then. Let me explain how things changed. I have this house," Sam stated by way of explanation to a now very bewildered man. "I built it in my cell. Well, I built two actually. One was an A-frame in the middle of nowhere Minnesota for the life I imagined I might have with Jack and the other was a rambling old Victorian where you and I lived with our 6 kids. There were two sets of twins I gave birth to, and two orphans we brought back through the gate."

Daniel had stopped looking confused but his face wasn't giving away what he was feeling. "But if you were thinking about me that way before we got rescued, why did you turn me down?"

"It was all wonderful in our house. There was all this love, and laughter, and sharing on every level. You were so good with the kids and so supportive of me but I couldn't take it past the bedroom door. I had you in the friend box and it just didn't seem right. The night you proposed, well after you left, Jack and I talked. He told you about it of course," she said dryly. Daniel nodded. "I started thinking about what he had suggested. The only thing that made us not a perfect couple was the physical dimension. I began visiting the house and trying to imagine what it would be like if we were the total package." She looked at him hungrily. "I think I had always had a reaction to you but I had buried it because it was too confusing. You're so different from my dad, from the type man I thought I wanted. Once I opened the door though…." She reached up and ran her thumb across his full, kissable lower lip. "I realized that we already had the full package. I love you Daniel and I'm in love with you."

He leaned over and kissed her so gently, so obviously making it as nonsexual as possible. "The doctors won't let me touch you. Even if it weren't for that, I have to resolve things with Janet before I can work on us."


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel had been on the daily run to Baskin-Robbins to get Sam ice cream. A lot of other people who weren't pregnant seemed to have developed some sort of sympathetic cravings for the stuff and they were consuming gallons per week. He hadn't noticed Janet's SUV and was surprised to come into the kitchen for a soft drink and discover her moving about briskly preparing pasta. He greeted her affectionately with a smile on his face and followed up with a quick, friendly hug but she was distant and pushed him away impatiently. 

"Janet?" he asked.

"Things to do," she replied almost curtly.

"I didn't see your car."

"I parked out on the road in front of the next house. I wanted to make sure I wasn't blocked in?"

"Okay," Daniel said, a trifle mystified. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you really can. I have the sauce started. If you'll stir it every once in awhile, I think it'll be good in about an hour. I already cooked the pasta itself," she indicated the colander. "If you'll just pour boiling water over it and toss the dressing in that container over the salad. It's in the refrigerator." He looked his question at her. "I can't stay Daniel and I won't be able to help for a couple of days."

Daniel's concern was clear in his voice, "Are you all right? I mean is there a problem?"

"I just need a little time to lick my wounds after I tell you what I'm about to tell you," she said, her back to him, standing at the sink.

"Tell me what?" he asked although he was beginning to think he knew.

She turned then and he saw that there were tears shining in her eyes but not falling. She was tough. "I know you love me Daniel. You don't lie and you told me you did. You showed me that you did. I really think on an even playing field I might have won. But you and Sam are having a baby and you love her too. If you did choose me over her, she'd be in our life all the time anyway and you'd be pulled apart. I talked the whole thing over with Sam while you were out. I'm ending it, Danny, right now."

"Oh my God, Janet," Daniel said. "I'm so sorry for hurting you like this. I'm a jerk and I know it." He tried to take her hand but she fended him off.

"Don't indulge yourself in guilt over it Daniel," Janet said wearily. "If I'm going to put myself through this noble renunciation I need to at least think that it made someone else happier."

While he stood and watched, she proceeded to put dishwashing detergent in the dishwasher and start a load, take a dishrag and wipe off the counter, and put a clean dish towel over the top of the cooked pasta. He couldn't think of anything to say but he couldn't take his eyes off her. He realized that in his heart he was saying good bye to a future that would have been a good one and to a woman he adored but could never be really close to again. At last, she dried her hands and picked up her purse. "One good thing," she said with false brightness as she came close to him. "We were smart deciding to defer complete intimacy. It does make this easier. I'll be off. I'll see you in a couple of days."

He caught her hand and pulled her back. "I can't turn off loving you Janet. I always will and if there's ever anything you need, I'll be there. Can you kiss me one last time?" They got married, had kids, watched them go off on their own, and grew old together in that kiss. And then she did leave without another word.

Teal'c followed his nose into the kitchen a short while later and found Daniel stirring the pasta sauce and looking pretty rough. "Is not JanetFraiser cooking the dinner?" he asked, both concerned about the quality of the food, Daniel not being a great cook, and that something might be wrong with Janet.

"She left," Daniel stated without elaboration.

"And what else DanielJackson?" Teal'c followed up. Looking at Daniel made it obvious her departure hadn't been routine.

"She broke off with me," Daniel said, slamming the lid back on the saucepot.

"This will make things easier, will it not?" Teal'c asked, demonstrating that he observed far more than he normally gave evidence of.

"Sure. But I care about her and I hate that I hurt her," Daniel answered.

"DanielJackson, I believe I will go spend the evening with JanetFraiser. I have noticed that female Tauri are like female Jaffa. They do not like to be alone when they are unhappy," Teal'c announced.

Daniel looked at him gratefully. "You're a good man, Teal'c."

"Perhaps," Teal'c said, and left.

Daniel stayed in the kitchen, punishing the dishes, pans, and silverware. He cleared the dishwasher out with a lot of pot clanging and dishes clattering together. The silverware was tossed in the drawer, piece by piece, making clinking sounds like chains. Nothing broke. Finally Daniel looked down at the glass in his hand and knew that he had to break it. Something had to break. He hurled it against the wall 6 feet away and it shattered. A few small pieces flew back in his direction and a tiny cut flecked the back of his hand.

Jack entered the room to find Daniel crouching with a dust pan, picking up pieces of glass. "Sam told me," he said quietly. He walked to Daniel's side, crunching a few small pieces under foot and squatted down. "Danny, quit it." He took the dustpan from him and stood up.

Daniel stood up then. "I have to clean up this mess I made," he said gesturing broadly.

"You always have, Daniel," Jack said, still speaking quietly. Daniel looked at him helplessly. Jack put his arms around him and Daniel leaned into him. "Janet will be okay. You have to think about Sam and the babies now."

A while later they sat in the living room together. "I need to finish the dinner up and serve it," Daniel said but he didn't move.

"Would it be better if Sara took food up to Sam and kept her company this evening instead of all of us?" Jack suggested.

"They settled it between them, you know. I'm not sure I feel like the man here. A while back I had this vision of myself as a sort of male Helen of Troy." He looked up then warningly at Jack who was about to speak, "No more with the teasing about me being some sort of eye candy for the women on the base."

"So that would be a yes?" Jack said and went swiftly upstairs to talk with Sara. When he returned, he said, "You're not really mad at Sam are you?"

"Not mad. No. But this is the beginning of our lives together. I want to think about how this needs to go. I've let her be the leader more often than not because of our respective job skills and positions. But I want a partnership."

"In your marriage," Jack finished.

They always finished each other's sentences correctly and there was no need for Daniel to even affirm Jack's assumption. "You know," Daniel said, "she told me she figured out how she felt about me really by imagining the house we shared together with our children, imagining what the life was like in that house. Maybe we should walk through that house together and figure out what our life would be like."

And so the old Victorian gets some minor redecoration and a garden in the back. Sam and Daniel sit in the screened on porch on the back, watching the sunset together, and preparing for their life together.


End file.
